disalarming

I’m taking a leaf out of eemusings‘ book and doing the “7 Deadly Sins” meme. I’m not going to post these consecutively; they’ll pop up every now and then as I please (read: when I have a steady Internet connection).

Day 5: Greed. Seven worldly material desires.

1. HTC Sensation smartphone
Because it’s everything a smartphone should be. Except it has a crazy ridiculous price tag, seeing as I want to buy it unlocked :(

2. Enough frequent flyer miles to fly for “free” forever
Yeah, dream on. I certainly travel enough to rack up some frequent flyer miles, but definitely not enough for the majority of my flights to be purchased with miles! Or even a portion of them, actually. I’d love to achieve Diamond status or something.

3. The Esprit side-zip jacket I saw in stores last winter
I’m all about the side-zip jackets, and I saw the most amazing one in Esprit last winter when I was shopping in Hong Kong. However, it was priced at some absurdly high amount, and I couldn’t justify buying it. I still dream about that jacket :(

4. A Nintendo Wii
My roommate has one and I love playing on it. (Luckily, her having one means I don’t have to shell out for one!) I like how it’s much more interactive than other video game consoles (although the N64 will always have a soft spot in my heart).

5. My favorite green tea frappe recipe
My favorite cafe in Beijing makes this amazing green tea frappe. I wish I knew the recipe, so that when I go back to the States I’ll be able to make it for myself. Alas, I’ll just have to drink it as often as possible before I leave Beijing!

6. A Jamie Oliver cookbook
Jamie Oliver is my favorite chef, hands down. I’d absolutely love to have his collection of cookbooks in my kitchen. I’ve used his recipes before and they’ve always been amazing successes!

7. Plain silver hoop earrings
I lost one of my plain silver hoop earrings when I was in Vietnam, and I haven’t been able to find a pair to replace them with. I hadn’t realized how hard it was to find a pair of silver hoops that aren’t too big or small, too thick or thin, etc. I miss my old hoops!

Full list of days below the cut.

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Cross-posted from breakthesky.net. Please leave any comments there.

I’m taking a leaf out of eemusings‘ book and doing the “7 Deadly Sins” meme. I’m not going to post these consecutively; they’ll pop up every now and then as I please (read: when I have a steady Internet connection).

Day 3: Wrath. Seven things that piss me off.

1. Being lied to
I have no time for dishonesty in my life. Nor do I want to put up with people who feel that I don’t deserve the truth.

2. Slow walking people
I like a leisurely stroll as much as the next person, but if I’m in a hurry, the last thing I want to be doing is to be stuck behind a slow walking person. It only really annoys me when there is no possible way I can pass them and am stuck ambling along mindlessly when I really am in a rush to get somewhere.

3. Lending money and not getting it back
It happens – you’re out with a group of friends and one is short, so you offer to cover for them. Only the friend forgets about it, and then you’re left in the awkward position of bringing it up and hoping that the person remembers. Or too much time has passed since, and bringing it up is just awkward. Or… or… or… There are a million and one variations of the scenario, but they all bother me just the same. I don’t mind lending money to a friend; I just expect to get it back in a timely manner.

4. The Great Firewall
Because trying to keep up to date with what’s going on in the world and keep in touch with friends and family has been like jumping through hoops of fire during my year abroad in Beijing. Sometimes, even sending a simple email (with nothing but text in it) would be a headache-inducing endeavor!

5. Crocs
Because they are just a terrible eyesore and extremely unfashionable.

6. People speaking for me
Unless there is a language barrier, I am perfectly capable of articulating what I want to say. There were many cases when I was traveling in SE Asia (and even during my time abroad in China) that people would address my male companions even if I was the one that asked the question. Or someone would ask me something and one of my friends, in an effort to show off (or practice) their language skills, would jump in with an answer for me.

7. Waking up early
I’m a total night owl. I work best at night and love staying up late. Waking up early, on the other hand… totally not for me. I’m such a zombie in the mornings!

Full list of days below the cut.

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Cross-posted from breakthesky.net. Please leave any comments there.

I’m taking a leaf out of eemusings‘ book and doing the “7 Deadly Sins” meme. I’m not going to post these consecutively; they’ll pop up every now and then as I please (read: when I have a steady Internet connection).

Day 1: Pride. Seven great things about myself.

1. I am multilingual.
English (obviously), Mandarin, Cantonese, and elementary French are languages that I can claim. I’d like to dramatically improve my French and add Italian and Spanish to the list, too. Italian because I think it’s beautiful and I studied it briefly in school, and Spanish because it’s becoming more and more useful in the States.

2. I am a good writer.
While this blog doesn’t always make it evident, particularly in light of my year of intensive Chinese language study, I am a damn good writer. From analytical to creative to everything in between, writing is something I’ve always been good at.

3. I care about people.
Just to clarify: I don’t care about a lot of people. But those that I do care about, I care about fiercely. I will do anything and everything for close friends and family. If I say I will drop anything for you in a second, or run to the ends of the world for you, I actually mean it. There are very few people I’ve said that to, and I will always mean it till the day I die.

4. I am ambitious.
I have hopes and dreams and goals just like the next person, and I work to make them a reality. It’s not always easy figuring out what I want, but once I do, I figure out the best way to go and get it.

5. I am a good student.
I’ve always done well in school and I can’t express how beneficial this has been for my life. It’s not just about getting into good schools and getting excellent educational opportunities because of my good grades, but it’s about being well-rounded for life. If I hadn’t learned how to be organized, manage my time, balance my interests, etc., I wouldn’t have done well in school. I see it all going hand-in-hand.

6. I am an excellent cook and an even more excellent baker.
I think this can speak for itself.

7. I give fantastic hugs.
I have been told this on numerous occasions by different people. Hugs are fantastic. To quote someone who put it far better than I ever could:

Hugging is healthy: It helps the body’s immunity system, it keeps you healthier, it cures depression, it reduces stress, it induces sleep, its invigorating, its rejuvenating, it has no unpleasant side-effects, and hugging is nothing less then a miracle drug.
Hugging is all-natural: It is organic, naturally sweet, no pesticides, no preservatives, no artificial ingredients, and is 100% wholesome.
Hugging is practically perfect: There are no movable parts, no batteries to wear out, no periodic check-ups, low energy consumption, high energy yield, inflation-proof, non-fattening, no monthly payments, no insurance requirements, theft-proof, non-taxable, non-polluting, and of course, fully returnable.
- Anonymous

Full list of days below the cut.

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Cross-posted from breakthesky.net. Please leave any comments there.